The Navy is moving forward with an overhaul of the Command Advancement Program that would require commanding officers to advance their top sailors during a three-month season. The changes may also allow for more sailors to be spot-promoted under the popular program.

An estimated 2,000 sailors in the fleet and at recruiting commands are capped every year.

The overhaul would mandate a “CAP season” that runs from July through September, when all command advancements must take place. This change would give personnel officials time to adjust advancement quotas based on CAPs before the upcoming advancement season.

The rules would set new CAP quotas and could also rein in who skippers are able to CAP, in an effort to bring the program more in line with the community managers who oversee all other parts of the advancement system.

“We’re working to make sure that all those advanced through the CAP program meet eligibility requirements,” said Capt. Karan Schriver, head of enlisted plans and policy for the chief of naval personnel, in a May 13 phone interview. “But also, we need to manage it so we don’t disadvantage other sailors out there and close advancements for certain communities.”

The overhaul is an attempt to modify a popular program that was nearly scuttled after some personnel managers said CAPs exacerbated the force’s over-manning in dozens of rates three years ago.

Vice Adm. Bill Moran, the chief of naval personnel who’s said to be a fan of CAP, is reviewing the formula that determines how many CAPs a CO can provide.

“There may be changes to the numbers of CAPs,” Schriver said, adding: “There is no plan to reduce the number of quotas for any commands.”